The Art of Mark Ryden: Anima Mundi

by Mark Ryden, Carlo McCormack

Mark Ryden’s paintings instantly trigger a warped deja vu. His work recalls a parallel universe of 1950s Golden Books and the whimsy of Lewis Carroll. His cheery bunnies, rendered in the glowing hues of children’s books, are likely to be carving slabs of meat rather than frolicking in the forest. Ryden’s work mingles superb technique with outre images to create a world of strange and disturbing beauty. “At once intriguing and unsettling, baffling and enchanting, [Ryden’s] works ... are subtle amalgams of many sources and influences as wide-ranging as Psychedelic and Vienna School artists Neon Park and Ernst Fuchs, to classical French formalists Ingres and David.” — Panik

Genres: Art

152 pages, Hardcover

Published October 22, 2001

About the author

Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, "Pop Surrealism", dragging a host of followers in his wake. Ryden has trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.

Ryden’s vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at darker psychic stuff beneath the surface of cultural kitsch. In Ryden's world cherubic girls rub elbows with strange and mysterious figures. Ornately carved frames lend the paintings a baroque exuberance that adds gravity to their enigmatic themes.

Mark Ryden received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a retrospective “Wondertoonel” at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art, and in the exhibition "The Artist's Museum" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing & Fascinating! Beautifully Rare! I Loved It!

[Aimee Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an odd collection I’m not sure what to make of it but I know I’ll be thinking of it for a long time.

[Michael Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Ryden is a genius. He has brought Pop surealism to it's fulliest ability. His use of lighter tones and pastel is unmatched in todays art world. The subject matter that is painted leave you raising an eyebrow and asking why this with that. The repetative subjects wether they be meat, Lincoln, or foriegn letters are mysterios and bring more questions than awnsers.

[Photokitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing "low brow" art

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary Catholicism, Abraham Lincoln and bunnies...what more could a girl want?

[Frenchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this intending on giving it as a gift, but I just couldn't part with it.